Use of envelopes

ABSTRACT

An envelope has two separate equal sized back to back sections, each individually sealable. At least one piece of content is provided in one section and that section is sealed. The delivery charge is paid to a delivery service for delivery of the envelope and its contents. The cost of the said delivery charge is shared between one party associated with the said one piece of content and another party which uses the other section to send at least one other piece of content to a recipient chosen by the another party via the delivery service.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/682,518, filed May 19, 2005 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/682,571, filed May 19, 2005, which applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the use of envelopes and the organisation of the use of the envelopes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Direct mail organisations may use a delivery service, for example the Post Office to send information or other matter referred to herein as “content” to recipients. The delivery service may offer the direct mail organisation a discount on the delivery charge usually on the condition that the direct mail organisation takes actions which reduce the work normally performed by the delivery service in delivering normal Post. Thus the cost to the direct mail organisation is increased by the conditions applied by the delivery service, e.g. the Post Office, despite the discount on the delivery cost and the delivery service does not receive the full standard delivery charge. Furthermore, such discounts are normally only available to users of the delivery service who produce large volumes of Post.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide a method of using envelopes in a novel way to provide a delivery service with the opportunity to charge the full delivery charge (subject to any discount they may offer) and yet also allow users of the delivery service, for example a direct mail organisations and/or others, possibly including “small users”, a delivery cost, which is discounted or even free.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method comprising the steps of:

providing an envelope having two separate equal sized sections, each individually sealable;

providing at least one piece of content in one section and sealing that section;

paying the delivery charge of the delivery service for the envelope and its contents; and

sharing the cost of the said delivery charge between one party associated with the said one piece of content and another party which uses the other section to send at least one other piece of content to a recipient chosen by the another party via the delivery service.

Thus both parties benefit from an effectively discounted delivery charge and the delivery service benefits from the full delivery charge subject to any discount it offers.

This and other aspects of the invention are set out in the accompanying claims to which attention is invited.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference will now be made by way of example to the accompanying drawings in which

FIGS. 1A to 1D illustrate envelopes useful in the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating one example of the use of the envelopes of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating another example of the use of the envelopes of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a networked computer system useful in implementing an example of the present invention; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate functions of the computer system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Envelopes.

The envelopes of FIG. 1 are the subject of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/682,571, filed May 19, 2005, which application is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In brief the envelope 2 of FIGS. 1A and 1B has two, equal sized, back to back, compartments 4 and 6 each separately sealable by a flap 8 and 10. The flaps are at opposite ends of the envelope. The flaps are hinged at the panel common to both compartments in one embodiment of the envelope. The envelope is for example of standard size, e.g. C4 or C5. The envelope is designed to be used with an inserting machine for inserting contents into the compartments.

The envelope of FIG. 1C is similar to that of FIG. 1A but the flap 81 is at one edge of the envelope and the other flap 10 is at one end of the envelope at 90 degrees to the flap 81.

Other forms of envelope having two compartments for containing content may be used in the present invention, but the envelope of FIG. 1A or 1C is currently preferred.

The envelopes of FIGS. 1A to 1D may have a removable margin, e.g. a tear-off strip, which opens both compartments as described in the co-filed application.

Referring to FIG. 2 or 3, the envelopes are manufactured by an envelope manufacturer 20. The manufacturer may make the envelopes according to the method described in the co-filed application.

The content which maybe inserted into the compartments of the envelope includes one or more of: a substrate supporting indicia, for example printed paper; disc records such as CD's, DVD's; tape records; amongst many other possibilities.

Referring to FIGS. 1C and 1D the envelope, in one embodiment, has one or more of: a zone PP for fixing a stamp or in which Postage Paid indicia are provided; a recipient address zone; a label CL indicating the maximum content of one of, or of each of, the compartments; and a return address zone RA.

The return address zone RA may be on the back (FIG. 1D) of the envelope and the other zones on the front (FIG. 1C). The label CL may be on the front and/or back of the envelope. The zones may be provided in the same way on the envelope of FIGS. 1A and B.

USE OF THE ENVELOPES—EXAMPLE 1-FIG. 2.

One party, in this example a product and/or services company 34, wishes to advertise its services and/or products by mailing advertisements or other content to potential customers 36. The company 34 buys the services of a media organisation 22 e.g. an advertising agency who produce, or arrange the production of, suitable content for the company 34. The media organisation buys the services of a mailing house 24.

A mailing house 24 is an organisation which has the equipment and expertise to insert content into envelopes and liaise with a delivery service, in this example the Post Office 32, to buy the necessary postage from the Post Office 32 and deliver the envelopes to the customers 36. The mailing house has for example one or more inserting machines for inserting content into envelopes. The mailing house is contracted by the media organisation to buy the envelopes of FIG. 1A or 1C from the manufacturer 20. The mailing house inserts the content into them as required by the media organisation 22 on behalf of the company 34.

In this example the content is inserted into only one compartment of each envelope and that compartment is sealed. The other compartment is left empty and unsealed. No recipient addresses are provided on the envelopes.

In this example the mailing house provides postage paid envelopes either by putting on them stamps bought from the Post Office or by using envelopes pre-printed with “Postage Paid indicia”. The Postage Paid indicia may be printed on the envelopes by the envelope manufacturer or by a printing company 20′ separate from the envelope manufacturer. The cost of the Postage is paid to the Post Office in any suitable manner, methods of doing that being well known.

In this example, the mailing house provides, on behalf of the media organisation 22, the envelopes to one or more sales outlets 28 which may be, or include, one or more outlets owned by, or run on behalf of, the Post Office. The outlet(s) 28 either purchase the envelopes from the media organisation 22 before selling the envelopes or pay the media organisation after the envelopes are sold.

Customers of the outlet(s) buy the envelopes at a fraction (less than 1) of the face value of the postage cost, for example half the normal, standard class, post cost. They address the envelopes to the recipients 36 of their choice, insert their content into the unsealed compartment seal it, and post the addressed envelope to their chosen recipient. The label CL informs them of the maximum amount of content they can insert.

The company 34 pays the media organisation 22 for the other fraction (e.g. half) of the postage cost and for the services of the media organisation 22.

Thus the customer 30 benefits from cheaper postage as does the advertiser 34. Also the Post Office benefits because: it receives the full standard price for the postage; or it allows a smaller discount than it would for normal direct mailing.

A Retailer X keeps accounting records of sales. The media organisation may use these records to reconcile the number of manufacturers envelopes sold to retailer X with sales of retailer X.

USE OF THE ENVELOPES—EXAMPLE 2-FIG. 3.

One party, in this example a product and/or services company 34, wishes to advertise its services and/or products by mailing advertisements or other content to potential customers 36. The company 34 buys the services of a media organisation 22 e.g. an advertising agency who produce or arrange the production of suitable content for the company 34. The media organisation buys the services of a mailing house 24.

A mailing house 24 is an organisation which has the equipment and expertise to insert content into envelopes and liase with a delivery service, in this example the Post Office 32, to buy the necessary postage from the Post Office 32 and deliver the envelopes to the customers 36. The mailing house has for example one or more inserting machines for inserting content into envelopes. The mailing house is contracted by the media organisation to buy the envelope of FIG. 1A or 1C from the manufacturer 20. The mailing house inserts the content into them as required by the media organisation 22 on behalf of the company 34.

In this example the media organisation also offers its services to another party 38, for example a club or society, which regularly sends content, for example a newsletter or magazine, to its members. The media organisation arranges for the club's content and the list of its member's addresses to be sent to the mailing house 24. The mailing house inserts the club's content into one compartment of each envelope and the content of the company 34 into the other compartment, seals the compartments, addresses the envelopes according to the club's address list and mails the envelopes to the members.

In this example the mailing house may use one inserting machine in which case the envelope of FIG. 1A is used. One content is inserted into one compartment from one end of each envelope. When that process is completed for a batch of envelopes, the inserting machine is charged with the other content and the partly filled envelopes are rotated 180 degrees and flipped over and the other content is inserted into the other end of each envelope. That is described in more detail in the co-pending patent application.

Alternatively, the mailing house may use two inserting machines in series to fill the two compartments of each envelope sequentially. That is also described in more detail in the co-pending patent application.

The mailing house may buy the postage from the Post Office in the form of stamps or use envelopes pre-printed with Postage Paid indicia. The Post Office is paid for delivering envelopes with Postage Paid indicia by any suitable method. Such methods are known.

The club 38 and the company 34 both benefit by sharing the cost of the postage and the Post Office benefits by being able to charge substantially the full standard postage cost subject to any discount it may offer.

USE OF ENVELOPES—EXAMPLE 3

In a modification of Example 2, the mailing house may insert the content of the product and/or services comparing 34 into one compartment of the envelope and seals that one compartment. The mailing house delivers the envelopes with stamps affixed or other Postage Paid indicia to the club 38 who themselves apply recipient addresses and insert their own contact into the other compartment which the club 38 seals. The club 38 then delivers the envelopes to the delivery service.

The club may pay for the envelopes by paying the mailing house or by paying the media organisation. The club pays a fraction of the face value of the postage on each envelope. The club may pay in other ways.

USE OF ENVELOPES—EXAMPLE 4

An envelope as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1D or in FIGS. 1C and 1D may be provided free to people as a promotional offer with another product or service produced by a commercial organisation. For example, a new product sold in retail stores may be provided by affixing to it a Postage Paid envelope with advertising relating to the product sealed in one compartment with the other compartment empty for use, free of cost, by the buyer of the product. The buyer inserts their own content into the empty compartment, seals it, and addresses the envelope to their chosen recipient.

The envelope may be otherwise associated with the product, for example being placed in a display stand adjacent the product.

Alternatively a Postage Paid envelope may be provided free to a customer or supporter of the commercial organisation. The customer or supporter receives the envelope with one, sealed, compartment containing content chosen by the organisation. The other compartment is empty and unsealed for use by the customer or supporter.

The organisation may not be “commercial”; it may be, inter alia, for example, a bank, retailer, hotel, political party, club or charity.

The organisation pays the full cost of the postage.

In this example 4, the mailing house inserts content into one compartment of the envelope seals that compartment and leaves the other compartment empty and unsealed. The mailing house may apply stamps, and/or other Postage Paid indicia to the envelopes. The mailing house may deliver the envelopes to a store for fixing to, or associating with, the product. Alternatively the envelopes may be delivered to the manufacturer or package of the product for affixing to it.

In this Example 4, the media organisation deals with the commercial organisation which produces the product or provides the service associated with the promotional offer. The media organisation offers to the commercial organisation the design and production of content, e.g. advertisements, to be inserted into the envelopes. They may also organise delivery of the envelopes of the present invention. The media organisation organises the delivery of the content to a mailing house for insertion into the envelopes. The mailing house may then deliver the envelopes with content in one compartment and the other compartment empty and unsealed to the commercial organisation for affixing to the product as described above. Alternatively, the mailing house may insert the envelopes of the present invention containing content into further envelopes which are sent to customers of the commercial organisation. The further envelopes may contain other information relating to the organisation and/or its customers, for example bank statements if the organisation is a bank. The media organisation charges the commercial organisation for its services including the cost of the delivery charge of the envelopes (and their content) of the present invention.

Networked Computer System FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

The second and third examples of the invention described above involves the interaction of various organisations. In this example of the invention, the organisations are linked by a networked computer system.

A server, or other suitable data processor, 221 is run by, or on behalf of, the media organisation 22. The server runs computer programs some features of which will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. The server is linked by a network N/W, e.g. the Internet, to terminals of the product/services company 34 and of the club 38. Any number of such clubs and companies can access the server via the network. The terminals are for example standard PCs. The mailing house 24 also has a computer system 241 linked to the network.

A computer B providing a secure payments system is also linked to the network.

The network as so far described uses conventional technology, for example the Internet, and web browsers on the PCs of the clubs and companies 34, 38 and corresponding software on the server 221 and the mailing house system 241.

Any club or company wishing to use the services of the media company first registers 51 with server 221 giving details such as: type of organisation, e.g. club or company seeking to advertise; the type of activity they are engaged in; e-mail addresses; and contact details such as the name and postal address of the organisation and/or of relevant personnel. The activity data may be e.g. small boats or yachting for a yacht club and e.g. clothing or equipment for yachts for the company 34. The media company may insist all registrants sign a contract 52 with the media company setting out the conditions of use of their services.

The club may wish to find a company with which it can share the envelopes of the present invention and share postage costs. In this example the club causes the server to display a list of companies.

Likewise a company may seek a club which may be interested in carrying its advertising in the envelopes. In this example the company causes the server to display a list of clubs.

Referring to FIG. 6B, the list may be displayed 60′ following a search 69 defined by the registered interest selected 68 by the club. For example a yacht club may seek companies with an interest in yachting or vice versa.

The following assumes a club is seeking a company.

Once one or more companies are selected e.g. by highlighting them in known manner on the list, messages are automatically sent 62 by the server to each selected company automatically including the e-mail address of the club for replies to be sent 63 by the company(ies). Alternatively, each company may reply 63 via the server and the club accesses the replies at the server.

The club considers the replies and selects 64 a company. The act of selection may automatically result in a standard form of contract being issued 65 to both parties, each of whom sign s it and return it to the other party and to the media organisation 22. That may be done electronically or on paper via the Post.

Once that is done then transfer of data to the mailing house is initiated. The company provides its content to the mailing house. That may be done by the media organisation on behalf of the company, or directly by the company. If the content is printed paper, the relevant information may be down loaded electronically to the mailing house for printing by it or by an associated printer. The mailing house inserts the content into one compartment of each envelope.

In example 2, the club transfers its membership address list by a secure link either to the server 221 for transfer to the mailing house or direct to the mailing house. The club also arranges for the delivery of, say, its newsletter or magazine to the mailing house, electronically for printing or in printed form. The mailing house inserts the content into the other compartment and seals it.

In example 3, the mailing house delivers the envelopes, bearing delivery charge paid indicia, with company content in one compartment to the club who insert their content into the other compartment and initiate deliver to their chosen recipients.

The club pays 67 at a time chosen by the media organisation 22. Payment may be electronic via the secure payment system B. Likewise the company pays, for example via the payment system B.

It will be appreciated that a company can initiate contact with a club in like manner. The example 4 may be implemented in similar manner.

The server 221 runs a computer program or suite of programs which implement the functions described above. The programs include a data base recording data relating to the parties including their type (clubs or companies), their fields of activity (Yacht club, yacht equipment/clothing) and contact details and other data as described above.

The present invention is operable with computer storage products or computer readable media that contain program code for performing the various computer-implemented operations. It will be appreciated that numerous steps of the methods described herein may be computer-implemented. The computer-readable medium is any data storage device that can store data which can thereafter be read by a computer system such as a microprocessor. The media and program code may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be of the kind well known to those of ordinary skill in the computer software arts. Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROM disks; magneto-optical media; and specially configured hardware devices such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), and ROM and RAM devices. Examples of program code include both machine code, as produced, for example, by a compiler, or files containing higher-level code that may be executed using an interpreter.

Memory may be internal or external to a processor. As used herein, “memory” refers generally to one or more devices capable of storing data, such as in the form of chips, tapes or disks. Memory may take the form of one or more random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) chips, by way of further non-limiting example only.

Modifications

The mailing house may be part of the media organisation as indicated by box 26. Alternatively the mailing house may be part of the delivery organisation as indicated by box 40 in FIG. 2.

The envelope manufacturing may have capability for printing Postage Paid indicia or such indicia may be printed by a specialist printer.

The mailing house may be part of the envelope manufacturers business.

Although reference is made by way of example to the Post Office, other delivery services may be used. The invention is not limited to any particular type of delivery organisation.

Although reference is made by way of example to a products/services company 34, other types of organisation may use the services of the media company, for example Charities, clubs, Associations, Government Departments, Tourism Offices, Health Authorities, Local Government, amongst others. The invention is not limited to any particular type of organisation which wishes to deliver its content in the envelopes of the present invention.

Although reference is made by way of example to one products/services company 34, two or more such companies may share one compartment for their content.

Although reference is made by way of example to a club 38 as the other party in the second example of FIG. 3, other organisations may be the other party. The other party is not limited only to clubs or similar organisations.

Post Paid (or delivery charge paid) indicia may be applied using a franking machine amongst other ways.

Postage Paid (or delivery charge paid) indicia as used here includes stamps, franking marks applied by a franking machine, and printed indicia. 

1. A method comprising: providing an envelope, the envelope having two equal sized compartments, each sealable independently of the other, for containing respective contents, one of the compartments being sealed and containing content; and providing the envelope to a user with the other compartment empty for the user to insert their own chosen content and with the delivery charge at least partly paid by a party other than the said user.
 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the envelope is sold to the said user at a price less than the face value of the delivery charge.
 3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the envelope is supplied to the user free of charge, the delivery charge being wholly paid by a party other than the user.
 4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the envelope is attached to, or otherwise associated with, a product.
 5. A method according to claim 1, comprising the further step of the said user inserting their chosen content into the said other compartment, sealing the compartment, and addressing and initiating delivery of the envelope to their chosen recipient.
 6. A method comprising: providing an envelope, the envelope having two equal sized compartments, each sealable independently of the other, for containing respective contents; and using an inserting machine to insert content into one of the said compartments and to seal the said one of the compartments.
 7. A method according to claim 6, comprising applying Postage Paid indicia to the envelope.
 8. A method according to claim 7, comprising providing the said envelope, with the said one sealed, compartment containing content, to a sales outlet for sale to a buyer with the said other compartment empty and unsealed for use by the buyer.
 9. A method according to claim 7, comprising providing the said envelope, with the said one sealed compartment containing content to a user with the said other compartment empty and unsealed for use by the user.
 10. A method according to claim 6, comprising using an inserting machine to insert further content into the other compartment and to seal the said other compartment.
 11. A method according to claim 10, wherein one inserting machine is used to insert content into said one compartment and used again to insert the further content into the other compartment.
 12. A method according to claim 10, wherein two inserting machines are used in series to insert the said contents into the two compartments.
 13. A method according to claim 10, comprising the steps of applying an address to the envelope and consigning the envelope to a delivery service for delivery to a recipient.
 14. A method according to claim 6, wherein the step of providing an envelope, the envelope having two equal sized compartments, each sealable independently of the other, for containing respective contents, comprises obtaining the said envelope directly from a manufacturer thereof.
 15. A method comprising offering content delivery services to an organisation wishing to deliver content to potential recipients; organising the delivery of content to a mailing house; organising the delivery to the mailing house of envelopes, each envelope having two equal sized compartments, each sealable independently of the other, for containing respective contents; and charging the said organisation for at least a portion of the delivery charge for delivering the envelopes and contents to recipients via a delivery service.
 16. A method according to claim 15, comprising the step of organising the delivery of the envelopes to a sales outlet, the envelopes having content in one sealed compartment thereof, and the other compartment empty and unsealed, and bearing delivery charge paid indicia.
 17. A method according to claim 15, comprising the step of organising the delivery of the envelopes to a user with content sealed in one compartment and the other compartment empty and unsealed and bearing delivery charge paid indicia.
 18. A method according to claim 15, comprising the further step of offering to a further organisation the opportunity to share the use of the envelopes with the said first-mentioned organisation; organising the delivery of content from both organisations to the mailing house; organising the delivery of mailing addresses from the said further organisation to the mailing house; and organising the delivery of the envelopes to the said mailing addresses, the envelopes having one organisation's content in one sealed compartment thereof, and the further organisation's content in the other compartment, and with delivery charges paid.
 19. A method according to claim 15, comprising organising the production of content.
 20. A method according to claim 15, comprising organising the payment of delivery charges for delivering the envelopes to the recipients via a delivery service.
 21. A method comprising the steps of: providing an envelope having two separate sections, each individually sealable; providing at least one piece of content in one section and sealing that section; paying the delivery charge of a delivery service for the envelope and the said at least one piece of content together with a predetermined amount of content of the other section; and sharing the cost of the said full delivery charge between one party associated with the said one piece of content and another party which uses the other section to send at least one other piece of content to a recipient chosen by the another party via the delivery service.
 22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the said one party pays the said full delivery charge.
 23. A method according to claim 21, comprising the step of selling, to the said another party, the envelope with said at least one piece of content in the said one section which is sealed, the other compartment being empty and unsealed, the envelope being sold at less than the said full delivery charge.
 24. A method according to claim 21, comprising the step of providing, to the said other party, the envelope with at least one piece of content in the said one section which is sealed, the other compartment being empty and unsealed.
 25. A method according to claim 23, comprising the step of said another party inserting content into the said other compartment.
 26. A method according to claim 25, wherein the said other party initiates delivery of the envelope to a recipient of their choice.
 27. A method according to claim 21, comprising the step of inserting the content of the said one party into the said one compartment of the envelope and content of another party into the other compartment of the envelope, sealing the two compartments, and initiating delivery of the sealed envelope to a recipient chosen by one of the two parties.
 28. A method according to claim 24, comprising the step of providing, the envelope attached to, or otherwise associated with, a product.
 29. A method according to claim 21, wherein the two sections are of equal size.
 30. A method according to claim 1, wherein the envelope comprises first, second and third panels, which panels are the same size and shape, and arranged such that one of the panels is sandwiched between the other two panels thereby defining two separate compartments, the compartments being individually sealable.
 32. A computer program in the form of a set of instructions which, when run on a system comprising a data processor linked by a network to a plurality of computers of respective first parties, to a plurality of computers of second parties and to a data processor of a mailing house, implements: a) registration of a said party at the request of the party, registration incorporating recordal of registration information including data indicating the fields of activity of the parties; b) production, at the request of a said first party of a list of one or more second parties whose activity matches an activity criterion selected by the said first party; c) production, at the request of a said second party of a list of one or more first parties whose activity matches an activity criterion selected by the said second party; and d) selection by a first party of a second party or vice versa and the transmission of a message to the selected party informing them of their selection and by whom; and e) subsequent processing including initiation of transfer of data from one or both parties to a mailing house.
 33. A computer system comprising a data processor linked by a network to a plurality of computers of respective first parties, to a plurality of computers of second parties and to a data processor of a mailing house, the system running a computer program according to claim
 32. 